The trademark name �Pyrex� was registered by
Corning Inc. to designate its low expansion borosilicate glass (LEBG) with a
expansion coefficient of 3.3 x 10^-7 cm/cm/degrees C. Up until three years
ago, Corning produced Pyrex or low expansion borosilicate glass in many forms.
One of the forms was large rolled sheets which ranged in thicknesses from 1/8
inch to 2.250 inches for industrial and optical applications.

In 2006, Corning decided to discontinue
making Pyrex in the large rolled sheet format. Once the decision was made,
Corning notified its distributors that it was discontinuing its Pyrex sheet
line and it would make its last production run at the end 2006. Corning
encouraged all of its distributors to stock up on the material. In response to
Corning�s action, the distributors and other end users purchased all of the
sheet material that Corning could make in the last production run. It is from
this stock pile that Corning�s distributors have been able to meet the market
demands to date. But this stockpile is near depletion.

When Corning made the announcement that it
was discontinuing its Pyrex sheet production, its international competitors
who made equivalent low expansion borosilicate glass began developing products
for the industrial market that Corning was preparing to leave. Overall, the
low expansion borosilicate glasses made by these companies were similar in
chemical compositions and had the same thermal expansion coefficient as
Corning�s Pyrex. However, they did not have the capacity to melt large blocks
or sheets in the size that Corning did. Their primary products were laboratory
and culinary ware. The announcement had caught everyone off guard and had left
Corning�s competitors with the task of deciding how they could best service
the industrial market that was being abandoned by Corning.

As of September 2009, there are two or three
international companies that will be offering low expansion borosilicate glass
in either strip form or in sheet form to meet the needs of the industrial and
optical markets. Of these companies, it was Schott Technical Glass Solutions
GmbH that purchased Corning�s roller line and moved it to a Schott plant in
Germany. Schott now has the roller line in full operation and is offering low
expansion borosilicate sheets through its distributors. These rolled sheets
are being made in the same length and width that Corning had made them in.
However, the rolled sheets are available only in seven thicknesses that range
been 1.125 inches to 2.625 inches. The rolled material is being marketed under
the trademarked name of Supremax 33. For sheets that are thinner than 1.125
inches in thickness, Schott offers its equivalent material (made using the
float process and not the rolled process) under the trademarked name of
Borofloat. Both of these low expansion borosilicate materials, i.e., Supremax
33 and Borofloat, have an expansion coefficient of 3.3 x 10^-7 cm/cm/degrees C
and are basically the same chemical composition with different trademark
names.

In addition to Schott�s material, there are
two other low expansion borosilicate glass manufacturers. Both manufacturers�
offer their material in strip or block form. Both materials tend to have more
striae, inclusions and bubbles than the material made by Schott. One of the
materials is reported to have an expansion coefficient of 3.3 while the other
has a slightly higher coefficient of expansion of 3.7. While these materials
may not be suitable for certain optical projects, they may be useful for
industrial applications and glass tooling.

The only other difference between these
materials and Corning�s Pyrex material is their cost. Once Corning had decided
not to rebuild its Pyrex melt tanks that were used to make the large Pyrex
sheets, it stopped adjusting its Pyrex sheet prices. As a result the Pyrex
sheet pricing did not reflect the true market price after 2005. With this in
mind, the end user should expect a price jump for the replacement material.
This price jump is going to reflect the fact that energy costs have increased
since Corning stopped making the material. This price jump will also reflect
the costs of the new melting facilities and the current raw material costs.
Also, mixed into the price jump will be the effects of the currency exchange
rates as the replacement material enters the United States (All of the
replacement raw material is foreign made).

Currently, there is very little pricing
difference between the three foreign suppliers when all factors are
considered. The pricing, shipping terms and conditions being quoted on the
replacement material appears to be approximately the same from all three
foreign manufacturers.

As for the end users, they should not be
affected by the transition from Pyrex sheet material to the replacement
material that is entering the market. Other than the shift in trademark names,
Schott�s material matches or exceeds that quality of the Pyrex sheets that
were available from Corning at the end of its last production run.

From a distributor and a fabricator
perspective, both Newport Glass Works, Ltd. and Newport Industrial Glass,
Inc., will continue to offer �Pyrex� parts and sheets from equivalent
replacement material. Newport will be stocking and distributing Schott�s
Supremax 33 and Borofloat in lieu of �Pyrex�. They will also offer �Pyrex�
replacement material in strip form made by other manufacturers.

Both Newport Glass Works, Ltd. and Newport
Industrial Glass, Inc. still have a limited stock of Pyrex material in
different sizes that will be offered to meet specific requests until the sizes
are sold out.

Please e-mail Newport Industrial Glass, Inc.
or Newport Glass Works, Ltd. (sales@newportglass.com) if you have any questions that we can help you with and/or if you need
technical information covering any of the �Pyrex� replacement material
discussed above.